Railroad-ditcher



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. W. PRESCOTT.

RAILROAD DITGHER. No. 442,457. Patented Dec. 9, 1890.

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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. W. PRESCOTT. RAILROAD DITO'HER.

Patented Dec. 9, 1890.

Mice TATES \YILLIAM PRESCOTT, OF

PATENT OFFICE.

FORT MADISON, IOYVA.

R AILROAD-DITCHER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 442,457, dated December9, 1890.

Application filed April 15,1890. Serial No. 348,007. (No model.)

To (all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM Pnnscor'r, a citizen of the United States,residing at Fort Madison, Lee county, Iowa, have invented a new anduseful Improvement in Railroad- Ditchers, of which the following is aspecifi cation.

The object of this invention is to construct an efficient andeasilybperated ditcher capable, among other things, of being adjusted todifferent widths of road and to different heights, and adapted when notin use to be swung around, so as to occupy little, if any,

more space than the width of the car on which it is mounted; and theinvention consists in the features and details of constructionhereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved ditcherwith the parts in position for transportation; Fig. 2, a plan viewthereof with the parts in position for working; Fig. 3, a side elevationof a portion of the ditclier, showing one of the scoops and the derrickfor carrying the same; and Figs. 4, 5, and -6, detail views of theadjusting mechanism.

A is the car on which the ditcher is mounted; B, the horizontalframe-work of the ditcher; 13, a turntable; B, a vertical frame-workattached to the frame B; C C,the excavating buckets or scoops; C, thearms supporting the same; D D, the derricks in which the scoops aresupported and operated; (1, blocks in which the upper ends of thederricks are pivoted; D, similar blocks in which the lower ends of thederricks are pivoted; E, a shaft supported in suitable bearings 6 uponthe frame-work E, drums on such shaft; I ropes attached to the bucketsand adapted to be wound upon the drums; G, a belt passing over the axleof the car; II, a clutch; II, a brake; I I I I, hooks engaging with theframework B; I 1 1'1, latches engaging with such hooks; J, rods attachedto the derricks D and hooking into a block j on a rod J; K K and K K,braces, and L L shovels.

The flat car A, which supports the ditcher, is made in the ordinarywell-known manner, and, since its construction will be obvious from aninspection of the drawings, requires no further description. To this caris attached the turn-table 13, consisting of an iron ring with a centralboss upon which the frame of the ditcher rests. The frame 15 isconstructed, preferably, of heavy timbers, and substantially in the formshown in the drawings, consisting of two longitudinal timbers joined byfive cross-timbers. It is supported, as above stated, upon a turn-tableto allow it to be swung around, as hereinafter set forth. At each endofthis frame and at a point near the end thereof stands a vertical frameB", consisting of two timbers fastened to the frame 13 and joined at theupper ends by a block or plate D, preferably of metal. The derricks Dare also preferably made of wood and substantially in the form shown.They are pivoted at their upper ends in blocks d and at their lower endsin blocks or boxes D". The block d is dovetailed into the block D, and ascrew passes through a lug on such block and is fastened to block (1, sothat as it is revolved in one direction or the other the block (1 willbe moved sidewise, carrying with it the upper end of the derrick pivotedthereon. In like manner the blocks D" are slid back and forth upon thefront timber of the frame B by means of suitable screws passing throughlugs In this manner the derricks can be adjusted at various distancesfrom the sides of the car, thus enabling the scoops to operate atdifferent points and excavate a greater or less width of road. Thescoops 0r buckets Care made in the ordinary form, and

are provided with automatically-1ocking hinged bottoms c, to which areattached ropes c for the purpose of unfastening them when it is desiredto discharge the contents of the scoops. The scoops are fastened at apoint near their middle to arms 0', exteudingabout at right angles tothe scoops. inch arm is pivoted at its other end between two platessecured to the vertical timbers of the derrick. These plates areprovided, as shown, with a number of holes, so that the scoops can beadjusted at different heights, ropes and pulleys N being provided forthe purpose of raising the arms.

A shaft E is journaled in suitable hearings on the frame 13, and ateither end thereof at a point behind the derricks is attachedawinding-drum E. Chains or ropes I are attached forward dip orinclination.

to the bails of the buckets, and, passing over pulleys on the derricksand frames B", are attached to these drums. On this shaft is mountedaloose pulley of thowell-known form, and a belt G (shown in dotted linesin 1) runs over this pulley and over a drum upon one of the axles of thecar from whence the operating power is derived. A suitable clutch ll isrigidly secured to the shaft, moved by means of a lever 71. If desired,this clutch and loose pulley may be situated on the axle of the car andoperated by a lever extending up through the car-floor or other suitablemeans. In this case the belt will pass over an ordinary pulley fixed tothe shaft E. I also prefer to provide a brake II for this shaft,consisting of a strip of metal partially" embracing a disk fixed to theshaft and tightened on such disk by means of a hand-lover 71.. mountedon the frame of the machine.

To hold the frame B in its working position across the car, hooks I areprovided, adapted to engage, as shown in Fig. 2,with this frame. To lookthese hooks, I provide latches I, which swing down behind the hooks andkeep them from unfastening. The timbers K, extending from suitablesockets on the car to the corners of the frame B, act as braces tostrengthen such frame and aid it to stand the strain to which it issubjected. Braces K K serve to takethe strain that would otherwise comeupon the scoops. Levers 7a are used to raise these braces out of the waywhen the frame B is rotated upon the turn-table.

At each side of the car, preferably at a point near the forward trucks,is attached a shovel L, which serves to push away any dirt falling toonear the track. The shovels are carried upon vertical bars Z, that slidebetween two uprights attached to the car, and can be adjusted to variousheights by means of pins Z, passing through the bars I and resting onthe tops of the uprights. A hose may be provided to wash out the scoops,if desired.

The mode of operation is as follows: The clutch being in engagement withthe loose pulley, as the car is moved the shaftand drums are revolved,winding up the chains and raising the buckets. \Vhen these are raised ashigh as desired, the clutchis thrown out and the buckets held by meansof the brake. On reaching the pointwhere the ditching is to be done thebrake is released and the scoops fall by their own weight, the speed atwhich they fall being regulated by the brake. Thebuckets then stand, asshown in Fig. 3, nearly horizontal, but with a slight The car is thenmoved forward until the scoops are filled, when the clutch is againthrown in and the scoops raised and held by the brake as the car passesto the dumping-place, when the bottoms of the scoops are unlocked bypulling 011 the ropes c, and, falling, discharge the contents of thescoops. The car then moves forward to fill the scoops, and they arefilled, .raised, and discharged, as before. hen it is desired to swingthe frame B on the car, thelatch es are raised, the hooks thrown back,and the braces K K removed, and the ditcher then swung on the turn-tableinto line with the car. The rods J are then unhooked from the block jand the derricks also swungint-o line with the car. In this position,which is shown in Fig. 1, the ditcher takes little, if any, more roomthan the car itself, so that it can pass through bridges, tunnels, andnarrow points on the road without having to be taken apart for suchpurpose.

Any other manner of connecting the framework to the car that will allowit to swing around thereon may be employed instead of a turn-table, ifdesired.

I claim 1. In a railroad-ditchcr, the combination of the car A, frame B,rotatably mounted thereon, frames B, attached to frame B, derricks I),mounted in such frames, and scoops pivotally supported in such derricks,substantially as described.

2. In a railroad-ditcher, the combination of a car A, frame B, pivotallymounted thereon, hooks I, and latches I, whereby the frame is held inposition for working, substantially as described.

8. In a railroad-ditcher, the combination of the frames B and B, aderrick D, mounted therein, and means for securing the sidewiseadjustment of such derrick, substantially as described.

at. In a railroad-ditcher, the combination of the car A, frames B B,sliding blocks cl D, scoop carrying derricks pivoted in such blocks, andmeans for moving such blocks back and forth, whereby the der *icks andscoops are adjusted sidewise, substantially as described.

5. In a railroad-ditcher, the combination of frames B and B, derricks D,mounted thereon, scoops O, pivoted in such derricks, a shaft E,journaled in frame B, carrying windingdrums E, and ropes or chainsattached to the scoops, whereby as the shaft is revolved the scoops areraised, substantially as described.

(3. In a railroad-ditcher, the combination of derricks D, scoops 0,supported therein, and vertically-adj ustable braces K, secured to themachine and extending to and engaging with the back of the scoops toreceive the strain when the scoops are in use, substantially asdescribed.

7. I11 a railroadditcher, the combination of the car A, frames B and B,derricks mounted therein, scoops pivotally supported in such derricks, ashaft E, journaled in frame B and carrying drums E, ropes leading fromthe scoops to such drums, and means whereby the revolution of thecar-axle revolves the shaft to raise the scoops, substantially as described.

8. In a railroad-ditcher, the combination of a car A, frame B, shaft E,carrying drums E, means whereby the revolution of the ear-axle revolvesthe shaft E, and a brake H for reguthe shaft and raises the scoops,substantially as described.

1l.. In a railroad-ditcher, the combination of a derrick I), providedwith perforated plates M, an arm C carrying a scoop C, and a suitablepin adapted to pass through the perforations in the plate M and a holein the end of the arm 0, whereby the end of such arm may be verticallyadjusted, substantially as described.

WILLIAM PRESCOTT.

Witnesses:

J. V. STEVENSON, GEORGE E. STEWART.

